Improvement in grand pianos



G. STEC K. Grand Pianos.

Patented Oct. 21, 1873.

Wish-z board without any holes or pertorations, whereare so arrangedthat one-half ot' their width UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE STECK, OF NEWT YORK? N.

IMPROVEMENT lN GRAND PIANOS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 143,789, dated October21, 1873; applical ion filed July 31, 1873.

To all 107mm 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORG-E S'rncn, of New York, State of'New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in. Grand lianos, of whichthe following is a specification:

Figure I vrepresents a top view of the frame of a grand piano-forteembodying my invention. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section at line 3 andshowing its position in the piano- Fig. IH is a eiosssection at the lineby the instrument obtains extraordinary power, fullness, and clearnessot' tone. This invention is an improvement on. the patent No. 11.6,1o0,granted to me on the 20th of June, 1ST .1.

A, B, C, D, and E are the lon gitudinal. braces. F is the curveddiagonalbrace or bridge. Cr is the front bar or rail, to which the wrestplank Jis attached; and K, L, M, and N are the outside or border parts ot' theframe, to the under side of which the sounding-lmard Il .is attached.The braces A, B, C, D, and lil, with which the strings a" run .nearlyparallel,

or depth, or nearly so, shall project above the plane of the strings,and thc other halt of their depth below said plane, whereby the tensionof the strings is caused to be midway, or nearly so, of the braces, andhas therefore no tendency to bend or warp the frame either one way orthe other.

'.'y this construction I obtain a trame stron I enough in itselfl tosustain the whole strain oi' the strings without requiring anyback-stays, frame, or braces of wood arranged. in the wooden casing, asat present, and with which the iron frame has to be connected by meansof a number of bolts, in consequence of which the sounding-board H canbe made of one unbroken solid surface, and as there is no framework orwooden braces below this sounding board there is nothing to obstruct thesound, and the instrument has extraordinary power, fullness, andclearness of tone.

This iron frame is supported in the casing 1?,

which need be only alight shell, upon three blocks, B S T, one of which,B, is situated at the extreme end, and the other two, S and T, on thesides near the front. (See Figs. I and H.) i

Besides the above-mentioned advantages, a great feature ot .my inventionconsists in the facility of the eoi'istruction or manufacture ot' agrand piano, as the iron frame, constructed as above described, can becompletely finished and strung independent of the casing, while by t-hepresent mode of construction the casA ing, with its necessary woodenbraces, has first to be'iitted to the iron fra-me, and the same securelyfastened by suitable bolts to said wooden braces, after which the casingis iirst iinished before any further work can be done to the iron frame.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The iron frame for grand pianos having the longitudinal braces A, B, C,l), and E, arranged in relation to the plane of the strings as setforth, in combination with the solid soundingboard H and wrest-plank J,substantially as herein described.

GEOB ill STEUN.

NVitnesses HENRY E. hoEDnn, .lonN B. PANNnn.

